KeyBank recently celebrated 200 years of service in 2025 by unveiling a state-of-the-art museum at its headquarters in Key Tower.

Turns out CSU student Andrew Zelina (MA ¡¯25) had a major hand in the entire process.

Zelina, who recently graduated with a Master of Arts in History (Museum Studies Specialization) completed his undergraduate studies prior as an Anthropology and History student. According to Professor of History Mark Souther, the Western Reserve Historical Society hired Zelina as the Corporate Heritage Project Manager to provide services to help KeyBank prepare to celebrate 200 years of service in 2025. The History Department agreed that this paid experience could qualify as an internship for credit toward Andrew¡¯s M.A. degree.

¡°I began [the KeyBank] position in October 2024, during my second semester of grad school [and] my exact reasoning for pursuing this position initially had nothing to do with gaining internship credit,¡± said Zelina. ¡°Rather, it was simply a full-time job within my desired field that paid exceptionally well, considering my status as a student.¡±

He added:

¡°Being a project manager contracted to such a large institution and being given so much responsibility and trust before even completing my graduate degree was a huge incentive, and I knew it would be an amazing addition to my knowledge and experience moving forward.¡±

Souther said for more than a quarter century, CSU's Department of History, through their internship program, has served the regions museums and public history-related venues while giving CSU students invaluable real-world experience that has led to many rewarding careers. 

¡°In my 21 years leading the program, I have advised and mentored around 100 CSU students, many of whom have taken their place in museum and public history careers locally, regionally, and nationally,¡± he added.

KEYBANK HERITAGE CENTER

The state-of-the-art museum, which is located at KeyBank's Public Square branch at its headquarters in Key Tower, pays homage to its history with interactive exhibits, artifacts and visual displays dating back to its founding in 1825 in Albany, New York. It also highlights KeyBank's storied, 200-year history and countless contributions to the communities it proudly serves across the country.

The display is open during branch hours and the public is welcome to visit. It will remain open after 2025 and is intended to be a permanent tribute to Key's legacy, according to a press release.

When it came to the project, Zelina said he had a plethora of contributions starting in October of 2024 all the way up to the official ribbon cutting ceremony on April 30. From sitting down to write the history to going over previously written corporate histories and taking requests for significant moments from the internal team at KeyBank, that was a crucial part in creating the most thorough, comprehensive accurate history of the bank.  

¡°Along with covering all of the history inside and out, we also had to procure images to accompany our text. I worked with my supervisor and members of our client team to obtain publicly available assets, use archival images from WRHS's collections related to KeyBank predecessors, and scan historical images from KeyBank's historical collections,¡± said Zelina. ¡°Beyond this work on the perimeter timeline feature of the exhibition, I also curated artifacts placed within physical display cases.¡±

While those were all important pieces to ensuring the Heritage Center would be a sight to see come opening day, Zelina says the most important thing he learned throughout was how to see a project from the infancy stages of ideation to executing the opening, along with working with a large corporate client and making their vision a reality. 

¡°It was a new experience working with such a large team that had such immense resources, so keeping open channels of communication at all times and making sure all client requests were met in a timely manner was a very fun and insightful experience,¡± he said. ¡°Much of the work I did also support heritage initiatives beyond the Heritage Center exhibition. My writing and asset procurement is also featured heavily in the KeyBank digital history presentation, which was published earlier this year.¡±

Looking back on the past 9 months, Zelina said it seems everything worked out pretty well.

¡°Although I will not be with KeyBank for very much longer, I was right in thinking that working my tail off through grad school in this position would lead to bigger opportunities in the near future, and now I have a job offer to prove it,¡± he said. ¡°I'll be leaving in a few weeks to work for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources with the State Park system as a Natural Resources Administrator, focusing on Tribal Engagement and Cultural Resources.¡±

Zelina also chronicled his time and wrote a blog. You can read that piece here.